Bald-faced liars

We have an update on the post from yesterday which concerned the harassment of law-abiding adult users of Telford Town Park in Shropshire, England.

The head of the Telford council, Andrew Eade, flatly denied yesterday that such a policy had ever been implemented in the park, claiming that the real policy (which he didn't bother to explain, unhelpfully) was "incorrectly stated". This, in spite of that letter sent from an employee of the council to a resident specifically stating that adults alone in the park would be grilled closely as to what business they had there, and tossed out of the park if the answer given didn't satisfy the "park warden".

Regarding the flap, Eade had this to say:

"'I want to categorically state that it has never been this council’s policy to stop, question and turn away adults without youngsters in the play areas in the Town Park. Such a policy defies common sense and I will not let this happen.'"

Who to believe? An official communication from the park's sports and recreation manager, or a stammering public "servant" with TV cameras and notebooks pointed at him?

In an effort to get to the truth of the matter, a reporter from the local paper The Shropshire Star named Simon Hardy showed up alone at the park yesterday, neatly dressed in business attire, and sat down on a bench to enjoy the day.

What happened? It took less than 30 minutes for a "senior staffer" to confront Hardy and ask him just what the heck he was doing in the park, that's what. Remember, this was after the story had broken locally. Watch the video for yourself. I only wish it had caught the lackey's face when the reporter identified himself as such.

(As an aside, while you're watching the video, check out the prison-style light towers festooned with surveillance cameras that are prominent in just about every shot of the park. They really add to the relaxing ambiance of the setting, don't they?)

Based on the reporter's video evidence, combined with the presence of an official letter stating that the council's unlawful edicts are in fact set policy, we have no choice but to conclude that Andrew Eade and the rest of the Telford Council are shameless liars (even for politicians) who don't have the decency to admit to their dictatorial actions, even as they are confronted with irrefutable evidence of their wrongdoing.

We'll see if the residents there bounce them straight out of office in the next election, as we don't hold out much hope of the commissars doing the honorable thing and resigning immediately.



For further reading: A local man named John Franklyn seems to be doing yeoman work in taking the initiative in exposing the antics of the group of martinets that wishes to rule him and his fellow residents, and he kindly pointed me to the latest information about the story.